SF officials chiefs carve turkeys for Salvation Army

November 21, 2012 12:50:01 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO --

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the city's police and fire chiefs were among the volunteers who met Wednesday morning at the Salvation Army's Harbor Light Center to carve turkeys for Thanksgiving meals for the less fortunate.

Salvation Army volunteers will deliver about 5,100 meals to seniors and those confined to their homes around the city on Thursday, and have been have been working for the past week to cook the turkeys and other food, said Terry Lowry, program director at the Harbor Light Center.

Lee said Thanksgiving is one of his favorite times of the year and joked, "Let's get to these nude turkeys" -- a reference to the passage of a nudity ban by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting on Tuesday.

The mayor was flanked by police Chief Greg Suhr and Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, who were competing over who could carve the most turkeys.

"Chief Suhr, last year I gave him some of my carving techniques, and from what I understand, he's two turkeys ahead of me," Hayes-White said mid-morning.

She said, however, that Suhr was only ahead because he showed up at the event earlier than she had.

Suhr joked, "All I can say is the Police Department was the first department on scene."

Members of the police and fire departments' command staffs were also at the center carving turkeys this morning.

A total of 6,000 pounds of turkey, 1,400 pounds of green beans and 1,200 pounds of yams are being prepared for the meals.

Lee plans on going to another turkey carving event this afternoon at the St. Anthony Foundation's dining room and will also volunteer at Glide Memorial Church's holiday meal service this evening.

He said there are a lot of people in the city in need of care, and encouraged residents to help out any way they can.

"It doesn't have to be money, it doesn't have to be resources, but ultimately it has to be care," he said.